Security issues at YVR (2022)
 

Speaking of CATSA, has anyone else in YVR flying J (w/o Nexus or anything else) been sent through the regular line at the C gates? Happened to me twice now, and when I went through a few minutes ago there was a plethora of people complaining about the same thing. Tried to enter through the “trusted traveller” queue and was told to go to the general line.

Yeah, a few times, and then I point to the "Priority Security" part of the boarding pass and they let me through

No, but I make sure to have the "Green YVR" sticker on the bp.

Tried that, scanner people didn't want to hear any of it. I ended up nicely asking the line attendant that tells you what line to go to, and she told the scanner people to get their .... together and to stop sending priority passengers in the general line.

Where does one get this sticker? Wasn't provided at check-in.

The AC priority desk definitely has a stash of the green stickers. I assume the same for WestJet and maybe the other domestic carriers (they're currently stationed at the international lobby). A staff member has to apply the sticker on manually and if they forget I'd try to remind them. Before I had status I found that the general AC bag drop desk had some spare stickers, but that was pre-covid, and for a good chunk of 2020 and 2021, the green sticker scheme was suspended so I'm not sure if those desks are fully stocked with the stickers once again

I have always gotten them at the AC Priority desk post-pandemic, sometimes the agent might need to steal some from a colleague at a different desk.
Agree with asovse1, check-in agents might need a reminder since they assume alot of elites have Nexus, which negates the need for the sticker.

Never tried general AC bag drop so can't tell for that one.
Have also gotten it from the AS and CX counters during the pandemic, but the Green sticker isn't as useful (in line-cutting) for the US departures compared to Domestic C security.

For those who stay on the Fairmont Gold floor at the Fairmont Vancouver Airport Hotel the night prior to their flight, one of of the benefits is a voucher for the priority security lane (remind the Fairmont Gold concierge to give you one when checking out) regardless of your status/class of service.

If anyone encountered a closed-off stanchion in front of C gate priority security today between 9:45am and 10:00am, I apologize for being the cause. I had to occupy the CATSA scanner person as they escorted me to lightly dump my container of soil curbside. :D:D

I stand corrected, didn't get the sticker today.
Check-in agent used a Yellow Highlighter for the "Priority Security" on the bp and that still did the trick.

Just be glad you didn't go through the C security this morning.

All Kettles got sent to A/B security, C was reserved for Priority/Nexus/Global Entry and still easily took 30-45 mins to get through.

Even with a later departure you may want to go give yourself more time than normal for security. I’ve flown out of YVR twice in the past 8 days and the security checkpoint at the AC (C) concourse has been closed and all pax were going through the WS side (A&B). It’s very poorly organized and even with Nexus I was about 25 minutes getting through.

If you do store a bag don’t assume you’ll be able to check it close to minimum deadline and go to gate.

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/briti...lays-1.6436560

Speaking of security issues at YVR, CBC is reporting that the airport is warning passengers to leave extra time to clear security because they are severely understaffed.

Pre pandicdemic it was A&B checkpoint closed from 19:00. Everyone going through C pier.
Not sure why the swap.
A couple nights ago the security lineup stretched across the domestic terminal well into the international check in area.


The passenger in the article had a 9:05 departure. That's one of the busiest times of the day.

9:00 is a great time to show up for late morning departures though.
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went through yesterday around 10:00am. Both areas were open, but there was no priority or nexus line at C. There was a sign up indicating they had limited staffing and indicating priority/Nexus line was at A/B. Even though it wasn’t terribly long line I headed to A/B which was a mistake. The priority line got you closer to the front of the regular queue with no dedicated lane..

They have those horrible auto feeding machines and they were handling the exception lane oddly. Unlike Toronto where they handle exceptions in order you were supposed to know to line up in a second queue if you had an exception and then describe all your trays so they could go searching. For the second time on this trip had the exception queue halted while a passenger tried to bring in a liquids way over the size / quantity limit. Yesterday a man had 1L of milk he bought for the flight which he was reluctantly willing to give up but he had a vat of body cream that he insisted was not a liquid and argued for a good five minutes before asking to leave so he could check it.

In Toronto, on my out, a woman brought her whole medicine cabinet in a giant toiletry bag and went shopping from it to decide what she’d rescue and squeeze into the CATSA baggy while everyone waited.

clearly the kettles are travelling again and have forgotten everything they might have known before. Going to be a fun summer. Would hate to see what busy looks like.

Ugh. Sounds like I may have to get to the airport really early for my upcoming AC108 flight. If only I could sneak through the INT screening instead.

"After all, (he says in his best kettle voice to the CATSA minion), I am going to ZRH!"

Fat chance, I know.

https://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...edc438fdfe.jpg
Domestic security line at YVR stretches all the way back to Air France.

Nexus on the Air Canada side appears to be closed, the concierge told me to go through Nexus on the WestJet side, which had me through in about five minutes rather than the hour-plus it sounds like it's taking for regular security.

I've never seen it this bad even at Christmas.